Chair capable of rapid erection and dismantling



Feb. 11, 1969 CHAIR CAPABLE OF RAPID ERECTION AND DISMANTLING I Filed March 23, 1967 K. R. A. WHYTE 3,427,074

United States Patent Oflice 3,427,074 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 3,427,074 CHAIR CAPABLE OF RAPID ERECTION AND DISMANTLING Kenneth Ronald Atholl Whyte, 257 Nicolson Road, Durban, Natal, Republic of South Africa Filed Mar. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 625,381 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa, Apr. 29, 1966, 66/2,495 US. Cl. 297-443 6 Claims Int. Cl. A47c 7/16; A63c 15/02 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The underlying idea of the invention is to provide a collapsible chair, more particularly for outdoor use such as on beaches, the two parts of which are each made so as to be floatable so that when separated such parts can be used for surfing and other aquatic amusements.

Background of invention The applicant noted that on the beaches at holiday resorts, people sat in deck chairs and had separate devices for surfing and floating on the surface of the water. He conceived the idea of providing a device made up of two co-operating parts, which could be used as a chair and the separate parts used for aquatic amusements.

Summary This invention relates to a chair which is capable of rapid erection and dismantling, and which is suitable for either indoor or outdoor use.

According to the invention a chair capable of rapid erection and dismantling includes two longitudinally rigid parts, one of which is provided with at least one transverse opening through it intermediately of its ends, through which opening the other part is slidably insertable to form a rigid cruciform structure capable of being supported on a flat surface by two adjacent ends of the structure so that the other two end regions provide seat and backrest areas for supporting the body of a person in a comfortable seated position on the structure. It will be understood that the binding action between the inserted part and the opening or openings in the other part, will normally prevent slipping action between the parts when the weight of a person is supported on the structure. If desired, frictional resistance between the two parts may be provided for. Alternatively a series of notches or serrations on the inserted part may be arranged to mate with corresponding formations provided say at each end of an opening.

Most conveniently the chair is made from two similarly shaped parts which may be of solid buoyant material or of hollow box-like construction, capable of floating in water.

When the parts are made of hollow box form, they may be made light enough to act as floats. The insertable part is shaped to be used in the sea as a surf board, While the apertured part with or without the opening closed off by an insertable clear sheet of plastic, is capable of being used as a bathers float to observe underwater flora and fauna. Another use is to place the structure on one side when it acts as a wind barrier.

To facilitate lifting and moving of a chair from one place to another after erection, the two parts may be arranged to be releasably held in their assembled positions such as by means of two locating pins each insertable through a hole in a longitudinal side of the apertured chair part so that the inner end engages in a hole in a longitudinal side of the inserted chair part and thereby acts as a temporary stop means.

The two chair parts may be made wholly or partly of solid construction such by the use of wood, foamed polystyrene, or other suitable light buoyant material. Alternatively they may be of hollow construction using a suitable sheet material such as marine plywood, a glass-fibre-reinforced plastic, or by way of a moulding of a suitable plastic, so that the resulting parts are light and buoyant and can be used in sea water.

Brief description of the drawings To enable the invention to be more clearly understood and carried into practice, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of the apertured part of a chair made according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of the co-operating insertable part of the chair.

FIGURE 3 is a pictorial view showing the two parts in their erected positions, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing how the two parts can be releasably held in their erected positions.

Description of preferred embodiments Referring to the drawings, reference 10 denotes one part of the chair in which a transverse slot-like aperture 12 is provided inwardly from one end, while reference 14 denotes the other part which is slidably insertable through the aperture 12 so as to form the chair structure shown in FIGURE 3. Both parts are of hollow construction so as to act additionally as floats.

To prevent unwanted movement between the two parts when erected and thereby to facilitate movement of the chair as a whole from one place to another, a locating pin 16 is arranged to be insertable through a hole in a longitudinal side of the apertured chair part 10 so that the inner end of such pin 16 engages in a hole in a longitudinal side of the inserted chair part 14.

FIGURE 4 illustrates how this is achieved in a simple manner. Each side frame part 18 of the apertured chair part 10 is provided with at least one hole 20 extending through it in line with the slot-like aperture 12, and a recessed fitting 22 is fixed into each side framepart 24 of the insertable chair part 14. Each pin 16 can then be inserted through a hole 20 so that its inner end engages with the recessed fitting 22, whereby the two chair parts are held in their assembled or erected positions. Each pin 16 may be secured to a short length of chain 26.

I claim:

1. A multi-purpose chair for rapid erection and dismantling comprising two longitudinally rigid parts, one of said parts having a transverse opening intermediate of its ends through which opening the other of said parts is slidably insertable whereby a rigid cruciform structure is formed supportable on a flat surface by two adjacent ends of said parts and the portions of said parts adjacent the other two ends provide seat and backrest areas for supporting the body of a person in a seated position on said structure, and said parts being floatable in water to act as body-supporting-floats for aquatic amusements.

2. A multi-purpose chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parts are similarly shaped and are made of buoyant material.

3. A multi-purpose chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said parts are similarly shaped and are of hollow construction.

4. A multi-purpose chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said part insertable in said opening is shaped as a surf board while said part having said opening may be used as a bathers float to observe underwater flora and fauna.

' 5. A multi-purpose chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said parts has a hole in its longitudinal sides and said parts are releasably held in their assembled position by twolocating pins each insertable through said holes when aligned.

6. A multi-purpose chair as claimed in claim 4 wherein References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,830,656 4/1958 Wagemans 297-18 X 2,914,117 11/1959 Underwood 297-443 3,042,945 7/1962 Saernan 9-3 10 3,135,972 6/1964 Jakes et al 582 3,147,498 9/ 1964 Convis 93 10 3,276,050 10/1966 Edwards 9-3 10 3,301,596 1/1967 Eos 29730 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

